Chapter 12:
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
Dream Seclusion
Author Note*: This chapter is the first one where I have a proper fight going about, I gave a good effort to make it seem impactful, I hope you enjoy it, thank you for the support so far! P.S Leave a comment if you may :)
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"You'reโฆ Danjiki. Arenโt you, kid?"The man spoke casually, though Tenkaiโs blood still clung to his palm like fresh ink.
Danjiki stepped from the drifting snow, not rushing, not tense โ simply inevitable."Nice deduction, you old scoundrel. Iโll put it second place to mine."
"Tch." The man grunted. "Are you referring to when you called me Mr. Bounโ"
"Actually, Iโll put it third." Danjiki cut him off, voice sharp enough to slice through the wind.
"After all, not only did I figure out who you areโฆ I deduced that Tenkai was in danger the moment he walked near you."
The manโs brow twitched โ then he let out a slow, amused sigh."So Iโve been caught more than one way, huh?"
His tone dropped into something deceptively gentleโฆ right before erupting into thunderous, feral laughter.
"HAAHAAHA!"
"HAH! HONESTLY! I havenโt felt such thrill in years!" His voice cracked with mania, echoing between the trees."Youโre special, kid! Iโll put in a word for you โ from my own mouth. A real privilege."
Danjikiโs sword left its sheath in one, clean motion, "You can shove this blade down that privileged mouth of yours!"He jumped forward to slash the man.
The man dropped his filthy cloak like dead skin, revealing the darker stains beneath it as he dodged.
"Tch. Missed him."Danjiki landed lightly, cloak fluttering behind him.
The man rose from his crouch, grinning with an arrogant, open-chested posture."Say, kid. If you know Iโm a bounty hunter, then you know the name."
Danjiki lifted his sword and pointed it โ every inch deliberate."Of course. Youโre the infamousโฆ
Katsuragi Reizล."
The wind howled. The coming blizzard pressed in closer.
Reizล stared โ then slowly tilted his head back and unleashed a peel of laughter drenched in scorn.
"HAAHAAHAAHAA!"
Danjiki didnโt flinch. But confusion flickered in the corner of his eyes.
"Whatโs so funny?!""Oh, nothing at all," Reizล crooned. "I just haveโฆ one last question."
Danjiki froze mid-step.
"Whatโs the most interesting thingโฆ you know about me?"
The wind swallowed the world whole.
---
Meanwhile,
Jinko and Aika tore through the storm, their horsesโ breaths steaming violently in the cold.
"Weโre almost there! Boy, I hope the villagers ainโt gonโ do somethinโ stupid!"Jinko shouted over the gale.
"Faith, darling โ faith!" Aika shouted back, voice bright against the bleakness.
This time, Jinko didnโt react. Didnโt blush, didnโt question the nickname.He only looked at her briefly โ eyes narrowed against the wind โ before staring forward again.
Inside him wasnโt panic.
It was purpose.Hard. Cold. Uncompromising.
He would not fall this time. He swore it.He would reach Tenkai. He would protect him.Even if the storm tore his bones apart.
---
Back to the duel at hand,
Danjiki tightened his grip. The question lingered like a trap.
"If youโre trying to buy time, Reizลโ""Oh? You sound frightened to answer." Reizล interrupts him.
"Hardly," Danjiki snarled. "Youโre a freelance bounty hunter for the Meiji. Famous for doing everything your own way and getting leeway for it."
Reizล smiled like a knife."Oh really? Thatโs surface-level stuff. I expected betterโฆ
from the son of Oukan Kurayami."
Everything inside Danjiki broke still.
"Y-youโฆ bastardโฆ how do you know him?!"
"Please. You think I donโt do my homework? Now guess:
Who do you think is the reason Oukan Kurayami got expelled from Edo?โ
Danjikiโs voice cracked."Dad was expelled because he refused to kill his subordinates when theyโ"
"He REFUSED to kill a man smuggling his way onto Dutch trade ships," Reizล roared."Your father โ the MOST NAIVE MAN I EVER MET.Whereas Iโ"
He spread his arms.
"I KILLED MY OWN DAUGHTER!"
"Y-You're a monster," Danjiki spat."For Dad, it was different โ those were lies! A setup!"
"Oh he knew, kid!" Reizล barked back."He KNEW the man was feeding cult growth straight from the Netherlands.He KNEW the threat.He KNEW the consequences.
AND STILL โ he defended him."
"Because Dad protects the people who trust him!" Danjiki shouted."Those allegations were false! It was-"
He stopped.
A tremor ran down his spine.
โYou said "who is the reason" Dad was exiledโฆโ
Reizลโs grin widened like a wound splitting open.
"Youโฆ set him up," Danjiki whispered, voice brittle.
Reizล bowed his head mockingly."Thatโs right. Iโm not just a bounty hunter.
I am a trusted advisor to Emperor Meiji.I orchestrate executions.Manipulate exiles.Erase villages.Kill adversaries.All to spread fear.
For when my time comes."
The words rattled the air like distant thunder.
"For.. when your time comes..?"
"DON'T KID ME YOU BASTARD!"
(Danjiki was enraged. He charged at Reizล, who had a sword ready, its polished steel still wet with Tenkai's blood.)
Steel met steel โ
CLANG!
A flare of sparks scattered through the darkness like fireflies. Danjiki drove forward, his sword's edge slicing arcs of orange light through the cold air. Reizล met him stroke for stroke, his own blade twisting with a predatorโs precision.
Kaching!
The impact rang out again, loud enough to shake the branches of the trees.
The two figures blurred, vanishing and reappearing amidst the breeze and snow terrain. Every clash sent shockwaves rolling down the cracked asphalt.
Danjiki's expression was pure focus โ no hesitation, no wasted movement. He parried, pivoted, and slammed his weight into another strike, sparks screaming between the blades.
โToo slow!โ Reizล snarled, countering with a sweeping cut. Danjiki bent backward just enough for the steel to whistle inches from his nose โ then twisted, pivoting on his heel, and drove his sword upward in a sharp diagonal arc.
KSHING!
The collision threw both fighters apart, snow spiraling between them.
Reizล's laughter echoed through the premises. โThatโs it! Thatโs the face I wanted to see!โ
Danjiki didnโt answer โ he was already moving again. His blood pulsed, fierce and direct, searing dents into the dirt and snow beneath him. His sword's black edge caught the light as he slashed in a wide, horizontal swing.
Reizล caught it โ barely. The vibration shot up his arms, numbing his fingers.
โYou bastard! I will end you here and now! For my dad, for the innocent you killed to invoke fear in, FOR TENKAI!โ Danjiki roared, driving his blade down again and again, each strike heavier, faster.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Every impact was like a heartbeat, hammering through the silence that followed.
Reizล's grin faltered. For every strike he blocked, three more came crashing down. The pressure was suffocating, Danjiki's adrenaline folding over him like a storm front.
Then, a feint โ Danjiki's sword flickered left, right, then vanishedโ
KSHHH!
The next instant, Reizล's shoulder split open, blood arcing onto the ground like a dark comet.
He staggered, hissed through his teeth, then lunged back in, their swords locking again. Their faces were inches apart now โ Danjiki's eyes burning, Reizล's glinting with something between madness and admiration.
โYou really think youโre the hero in this, Danjiki?โ Reizล spat, twisting his blade.
Danjiki shoved him back, his sword ringing as it slid free.
โI donโt care. I was here for Tenkai.. but now.โ
He swung once more โ a downward strike that dented the snow open like thunder.
โIโm just here to make things justified for everyone who deserves it.โ
The last clash pushed them apart, their breaths torn by the storm.
Reizล panted, eyes gleaming with deranged pride.
"Kidโฆ you still havenโt answered. What is the most interesting thing youโve heard about me?"
Danjiki staggered, vision blurring, strength leaking from his fingers.
"Whatโฆ?"
Reizล leaned forward.
His voice dropped to a whisper, too calm for the chaos around them.
"Iโm not only Katsuragi Reizลโฆ"
The wind seemed to stop.
"I embody two minds in one vessel."
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